'Ouija 2' Will Possess Theaters in October of 2016

Whether you favored the 2014 film Ouija or you didn't, a sequel is on the way. According to Deadline, Ouija 2 is coming and Universal has set October 21, 2016 as the release date.

Deadline reports, "Ouija 2 picks up with a group of unsuspecting friends who must confront their most terrifying fears when they unleash an evil from the other side that only they can send back. Platinum Dunes partners Michael Bay, Brad Fuller and Andrew Form, Blumhouse Prods’ Jason Blum, Hasbro’s Brian Goldner and Stephen Davis are again on board as producers."

I got to spend last weekend in Baltimore at OuijaCon surrounded by beautiful boards and one point about the first film was made by one of the movie's consultants, Robert Murch. I'm broadly paraphrasing here but he mentioned during a panel that despite what you thought of Ouija, if the film encouraged the board's use, scaring the crap out of kids during slumber parties and more attention is given to the Ouija board, it's all good.

The first film grossed $50.8 million domestically and $100 million worldwide. We'll keep you posted on any new details about the sequel.

-Larissa Mrykalo

Ouija Celebrates its 125th Anniversary in Baltimore: OuijaCon 2015 Wrap-Up

BY LARISSA MRYKALO

This past weekend in Baltimore, Maryland, an eclectic mix of individuals descended upon the Baltimore Harbor Hotel to celebrate the 125th anniversary of Ouija. Whether you're a skeptic, a believer, a collector, or undecided, Charm City was the place to be and I was lucky enough to be invited. Thanks to the efforts of Robert Murch and the Talking Board Historical Society (TBHS) along with paranormal researcher and author,  Jeff Belanger, their inaugural event, OuijaCon, was quite the success.

We all know that films like The Exorcist have given Ouija a bad reputation but delving into the rich history of the boards was the goal here. To quote from the TBHS page, "The Talking Board Historical Society began in 2008 as a loose affiliation of talking board collectors and enthusiasts, brought together by talking board historian Robert Murch to bring recognition to the forgotten founders and history of the enigmatic Ouija." This wasn't an event to scare, obviously, it was an event to educate, create discussion and, of course, celebrate. 

The event opened on the evening of April 23 with a meet and greet in the Talking Board Museum and  family members of prominent Ouija founders, including William Fuld were present. Just to be clear and honest, this was quite the education for me. I do own a beautiful Fuld board and when I was a kid, I did dabble with a board my brother and I got from the local toy store but other than that, I'm a Ouija novice. The variety of boards/spirit communication devices in this museum blew my mind. I see these pieces as not only bits of amazing paranormal history but as beautiful pieces of art.

The Ouija Files: Murch Meets The Blue Ghost in Chicago

BY BOB MURCH

I saw a ghost this past weekend. Seriously, it’s true. After all the paranormal conferences I’ve attended and the many ghost hunts I’ve been on, I finally came face to face with a ghost. Not just any ghost mind you, but one that’s been haunting American living rooms for over seven decades. Nope, I hadn’t been drinking, I wasn’t doing drugs, and no I didn’t have a mental break down. I came face to face with a ghost, and I have photos and a witness to prove it, but I’ll get to all that in a bit.

Earlier this year I’d been invited to speak at Ursula Bielski’s Chicago Ghost Conference. I first met Ursula many moons ago at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. I love Ursula. She’s obsessed with the history and ghost lore of Chicago and I can relate to that. I get being obsessed with something. I’d never been to Chicago before so I jumped at the chance.

Most people don’t know it, but Chicago is arguably the Talking Board Capital of the World. Officially branded Ouija boards were made there for over a year starting in 1891 and J.M. Simmons’ Ouija boards were made in record numbers beginning in 1919. He made so many Ouija boards over the years that he was dubbed the Ouija King of Chicago. Then there are all the other talking board companies that exploded in the 40’s. For a time, the talking board business and Chicago went together like peas and carrots.

The Ouija Files: Talking Board Historical Society Goes Public

BY BRANDON HODGE

Fans of Ouija now have a new avenue to celebrate their passion for the mysterious talking boards. This week, the Talking Board Historical Society debuted a new Facebook page that exploded in popularity overnight. Though formally established last year, the society’s roots trace back to 2008 as a loose affiliation of talking board collectors and enthusiasts brought together by talking board historian Robert Murch. The group is now raising its public profile in advance of 2015’s OuijaCon, set to take place in Baltimore on April 23-25.

The group’s most famous effort is erecting the talking board-inspired headstone at the unmarked grave of Ouija patentee Elijah Bond in Baltimore’s historic Green Mount Cemetery, which has since become the historic cemetery’s most-requested gravesite. In addition, they successfully petitioned the city of Baltimore to recognize William Fuld’s Harford Avenue Ouija factory, built in 1919, as a historical landmark, which became the first public landmark in Maryland acknowledging the city’s Ouija history. Next, the group hopes to honor the contributions of the medium Helen Peters Nosworthy to Ouija and American history, and is raising funds to place a marker at her grave commemorating her for giving the board its iconic name.

The Ouija Files: Murch on His Extras Contribution to the 'Ouija' Movie

BY ROBERT MURCH

We’ve all done it. Your favorite movie finally comes out on DVD and you can’t hit play fast enough. You know every word and irritate whomever you talked into watching it with you. Then, you head on over to the "Extras" section where you can hear the director's thoughts, get the behind-the-scenes scoop, and if you’re lucky, even learn something.

So, you can imagine how psyched I was when I got the chance to film for the DVD release of Ouija® the movie which possesses theatres on October 24th. I consulted during pre-production of the movie and I thought that was cool. Thanks to Gene Orlando from the Museum of Talking Boards and Bennett Schneir, one of the producers of the movie, I got my chance.

I was put in touch with the production company Universal Studios Home Entertainment hired. At first they wanted to film in the LA area, which would have been awesome except that they wouldn’t be able to film all the Ouija stuff that makes great B roll.

In the end they came to Boston where they transformed my home into a set! They filmed me talking about how Ouija and talking boards got their start and we followed them through the ages trying to answer the million-dollar question: How did Ouija go from family fun night to family fright night?